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Rachael Ray
Rachael Domenica Scuderi-Ray (born August 25, 1968) is an American television personality, businesswoman, celebrity chef and author. She hosts the syndicated daily talk and lifestyle program Rachael Ray, and several Food Network series: 30 Minute Meals, Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels, and $40 a Day. Other programs to her credit include Rachael Ray's Week In A Day and the reality format show Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off. Ray has written cookbooks based on the 30 Minute Meals concept, and launched a magazine, Every Day with Rachael Ray, in 2006. Ray's television shows won three Daytime Emmy Awards. Early life Rachael Ray was born in Glens Falls, New York. She moved to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where her family owned four restaurants. When Ray was eight, her family moved to Lake George, New York. Her mother managed restaurants in upstate New York. In 1995, Ray moved to New York City. One of her first jobs there was at the candy counter at Macy's, where she eventually managed the fresh foods department. She later helped open a New York City market. Moving back to upstate New York, Ray managed Mister Brown's Pub at "The Sagamore", a hotel on Lake George. From there, she became a buyer at Cowan & Lobel, a gourmet market in Albany. Ray credits the concept of 30 Minute Meals to her experience working at the store, where she met people who were reluctant to cook. She taught a course in which she showed how to make meals in less than thirty minutes. With the success of her "30 Minute Meals" classes, WRGB (the local CBS TV affiliate) asked her to appear in a weekly segment on their newscasts. This, along with a public radio appearance and the publication of her first book, led to a Today show spot and her first Food Network contract in 2001. Career Cooking Ray teaches simple recipes that she says can be completed in 30 minutes or less, although critics claim that her concept does not include preparation. Ray says that her Sicilian maternal grandfather, Emmanuel Scuderi, and her Cajun ancestry serve as a strong influence on her cooking. She uses ingredients such as fresh herbs, garlic and chicken stock to boost flavors. She believes that measuring "takes away from the creative, hands-on process of cooking" and instead favors approximations such as "half a palmful." To critics of her shortcut techniques, Ray responds, "I have no formal anything. I'm completely unqualified for any job I've ever had." She acknowledges that she cannot bake because it requires measured ingredients, that she cannot make coffee, and that she burns bread under the broiler. On her television programs, she has used catchphrases such as "E-V-O-O" (extra-virgin olive oil), "yum-o," "G.B." (garbage bowl), "Oh my gravy!", "entréetizer" (entrée-sized appetizer), "stoup" (cross between a soup and stew), and "choup" (thicker than a soup but thinner than a chowder). In 2007, The Oxford American College Dictionary announced the addition of the term EVOO, short for extra-virgin olive oil, which Ray had helped to popularize, and credited her with coining the phrase. On November 12, 2006, Ray and Mario Batali defeated the team of Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis on an episode of Iron Chef America during which cranberries were the secret ingredient. On March 18, 2007, Food Network debuted a Rachael Ray episode of its special Chefography series, on which she stated that "the worst day of her life" was Iron Chef America, admitting to being anxious about it for weeks before. She also told commentator Alton Brown that she was "a cook, not a chef." Mo Rocca, then one of the guest judges for that episode and later host of My Grandmother's Ravioli, disagreed. Television In 2005, Ray signed a deal to host a syndicated daytime TV talk show. The show, Rachael Ray, premiered on September 18, 2006. Recurrent appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show were used to fuel the launch, much as Dr. Phil's show was spun off based on his own frequent visits to Oprah. Ray has appeared on, among other programs than her own, The View, The Today Show, The Tonight Show, the Late Show with David Letterman, ABC News Nightline, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Larry King Live, Buddy Valastro's Cake Boss, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and The Dr. Oz Show. For wikipedia:Sesame Street’s 38th season, Ray appeared in an episode to present "pumpernickel" as the word of the day. On January 12, 2008, Ray's television series Rachael's Vacation premiered on the Food Network. The show was a five-part food travelogue shot in various European countries. In 2008, Ray became a television executive producer of a short-lived Latin cooking show on the Food Network called Viva Daisy!, starring Daisy Martínez. In August of 2009, Ray competed on Million Dollar Password for charity for Yum-O! and her own charity for animal rescue with Regis Philbin. Ray also appeared on the hidden-camera show I get that a lot, pretending to be an employee at a dry cleaner shop. In September of 2010, a new show, her first new cooking show in eight years, Rachael Ray's Week In A Day, began airing on the Cooking Channel. In January of 2012, Rachael was one of the two team captains, Guy Fieri being the other, in the Food Network reality series Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off. Magazines In 2003, Ray posed for the men's magazine FHM. A writer for The NY Times wrote: "The shots feature Ray in short-shorts with an exposed midriff, licking chocolate off a big wooden spoon, eating a strawberry and sitting in a sink, laughing as suds cascade down her thighs." In a March 2009 interview with Nightline co-anchor Cynthia McFadden, Ray defended her decision to pose in the magazine. The Reader's Digest Association launched Ray's magazine, Every Day with Rachael Ray on October 25, 2005. The magazine featured seven issues in 2006, and increased to ten issues in 2007. On October 12, 2011, it was announced that Meredith Corporation had reached an agreement to acquire Every Day with Rachael Ray. Product endorsements In November 2006, Ray became a spokeswoman for Nabisco'' crackers. She appears in commercials and on boxes for the many Nabisco products. Many boxes with Ray's picture have her recipes. In February 2007, WestPoint Home launched sheets, blankets, and coverlets designed by Ray. Within six months, WestPoint expanded Ray's bed and bath line to include the "Moppine," a two-in-one dish towel/oven mitt, as Ray is often seen with a kitchen towel over her shoulder that doubles for her as an ersatz mitt. In March 2007, the Dunkin' Donuts company announced Ray as its celebrity endorser, mainly of its coffee, since she had denied being able to make coffee herself. As part of a promotional campaign, Ray describes the company's coffee as "fantabulous." In May 2007, Ray's recipes were made available on AT&T cellular phones via the "Rachael Ray Recipes on the Run" feature. In July 2008, Rachael Ray's "Nutrish" pet food was introduced. The dog foods are created from recipes that Ray developed for her pit bull, Isaboo. All proceeds from the sale of these products go to Rachael's Rescue, a charity founded by Ray to help at-risk animals. Personal life On September 24, 2005, in Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, Ray married John Cusimano, an American lawyer and lead singer of the rock band The Cringe. She owns homes in Lake Luzerne, New York, and Greenwich Village, New York. Charity work In 2006, Rachael Ray launched a nonprofit organization called ''Yum-O!''' The mission of Yum-O! is to “empower kids and their families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking. This is achieved by teaching families to cook, feeding hungry kids, and funding cooking education”. Bibliography Cookbooks * ''30 Minute Meals (1999) * Rachael Ray's Open House Cookbook (2000) * Comfort Foods (2001) * Veggie Meals (2001) * 30-Minute Meals 2 (2003) * Get Togethers: Rachael Ray 30 Minute Meals (2003) * Cooking Rocks!: Rachael Ray 30-Minute Meals for Kids (2004) * $40 a Day: Best Eats in Town (2004) * Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Meals: Cooking 'Round the Clock (2004) * Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Meals for Kids: Cooking Rocks! (2004) * Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Get Real Meals : Eat Healthy Without Going to Extremes (2005) * Rachae Ray 365: No Repeats: A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners (2005) * Rachael Ray 2, 4, 6, 8: Great Meals for Couples or Crowds (2006) * Rachael Ray's Express Lane Meals (2006) * Rachael Ray: Just In Time (2007) * Yum-O! The Family Cookbook (2008) * Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book (2008) * Rachael Ray's Book Of 10: More Than 300 Recipes To Cook Every Day (2009) * Rachael Ray's Look and Cook (2010) * The Book of Burger (2012) * My Year in Meals (2012) Awards and recognition Emmy Awards and nominations Other awards and honors * 2004: ranked #92 on "FHM-U.S.'s 100 Sexiest Women 2004" * 2006: ranked #71 on "FHM-U.S.'s 100 Sexiest Women 2006" * 2006: named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people. She was nominated by fellow Food Network star Mario Batali * 2009: according to Forbes magazine, Ray earned about $15 million in the year ending June 2009, as well as naming her as the 79th most powerful celebrity in the world * 2010: Ray was the inaugural honoree on the Ride of Fame * 2011: People's Choice Award for Favorite TV Chef External links * website|http://www.rachaelray.com Official Website Category:Hosts Category:Chefs Category:Rachael Ray Shows